Minjeong's

"Ma, Ate, tigila n'yo nga si ano, s'ya. Bagong friend ko lang 'yun, masyado n'yong kinikilala na ewan. Friend lang s'ya, friend." Tinutulungan ko sila ngayon mag-set ng table. Umalis kaagad ako sa kwarto no'ng nagtanggal s'ya ng damit na para bang hindi ako nandoon. Parang hindi aware na bakla ako.

"Konting interview lang naman, anak. Ano namang masama do'n?" Sagot naman sa'kin ni Mama na nagllipat ng niluto n'ya. Biglang nagpabili ng manok kay Ate kanina, natatawa na lang ako eh. Iba talaga mga nanay kapag may bisita.

"Tsaka ano naman kung friend lang? Baka sa susunod jowa mo na 'yan." Bastos talaga ng bibig nitong bulilit na 'to eh pero sana nga sa susunod.

Kinikilig ako sa isip ko, para akong tanga.

"Ang sa'kin lang, baka ma-culture shock dito. Kung ano-ano kasi sinasabi n'yo." Pagkatapos ko magsalita biglang namatay lahat ng ilaw sa bahay. Wala akong makita pero isa lang nasa isip ko.

"Mama, bakit ka ba nag-anak ng malas? Kararating lang n'yan tsaka tayo nawalan ng kuryente." Hindi ko pinansin si Ate. Dali-dali kong nilagay sa lamesa 'yung mga plato at binuksan kaagad ang flashlight ng phone ko.

"Hoy, Minjeong! Pagbalik mo dito magdala ka ng kandila!" Sigaw pa n'ya pero mamaya ko na s'ya gagantihan.

She's alone in the bathroom right now and it's freaking dark, pitch black, blind dark.

Muntik pa akong madapa paakyat ng hagdan sa pagmamadali ko. It's not like something bad will happen if I don't get to her soon, pero knowing she's probably so afraid right now makes me want to teleport right inside the bathroom.

"Karina? May ilaw ka ba d'yan? Did you bring your phone? Are you okay?" Hindi ko napigilan mag-question vomit dahil sa sobrang pag-aalala. I was also knocking on the door in case na hindi n'ya ako maririnig sa loob.

Despite the sound of the shower, I can hear a soft sob from the other door. Baka lalo s'yang kinabahan dahil kinakabahan din ako. I breathed in and tried to speak in a calmer tone.

"Karina? Si Winter 'to, do you have anything that lights up there?"

"Winter," She whispered. I can only imagine how afraid she is right now. Ang sama pa naman kapag madilim; we imagine things even if we don't want to. Our brain just can't stop picturing our fears.

"Teka lang, okay? Kukuha lang ako ng flashlight para-"

"No, no, no. Don't leave, please? I'm scared. Please, don't leave me here." Sunod-sunod n'yang sabi, papalapit nang papalapit boses n'ya.

Should I just give my phone to her? Siguro, wala namang ibang paraan eh. P'wede ko naman s'ya balikan dahil memorized ko naman 'tong bahay. I can get the flashlight right away tapos tulungan ko sila sa baba.

"Can you open the door? Ibibigay ko lang phone ko tapos maghahanap ako ng flashlight."

I heard shuffling, may mga nahulog din na gamit. Bakit kasi ngayon pa nawalan ng kuryente? Tangina lang.

She was turning the knob and was about to pull the door open but I stopped her mid-way dahil pakiramdam ko wala s'yang towel.

"Ga-ganito na lang. Okay na 'yan, don't open the door too wide. Uhm, eto phone ko." I was about to turn away dahil akala ko hawak na n'ya phone ko but it was my wrist she was holding.

Her hands were cold, almost freezing.

"Minjeong, c-can you come in? I don't like it here. Please, it's so dark. Ayoko maiwan m-mag-isa dito." She tried to speak through her sobs. I saw a glimpse of her face and I felt my heart crack.

Ang sakit n'yang makita na umiiyak.

Nagdadalwang-isip pa ako kung papasok ba ako o hindi but I guess my feet decided for me.

I closed the door behind me, eyes still locked on her tear-stained face.

I don't care if her body is wet or if I'll get wet from this hug, it's what she needs right now. To feel safe, to feel that she's not alone, to feel comforted, and to feel warm.

I hugged her tight and whispered sorry in her ear.

"Sorry, okay? Hindi kaagad ako pumasok, I hesitated pa. Ayoko lang ma-invade privacy mo. I'm sorry." She only cried in response, her body shaking from the cold.

As much as possible, I avoided looking down or below her neck. I grabbed the towel from the sink and slowly detached myself from her. I wrapped the towel around her with some difficulty pero naayos ko naman in the end. Though she's taller than me, she feels small right now, vulnerable even, and I never want to see her in this state ever again. Lord, sobra na 'tong araw na 'to.

"May shampoo pa ako sa buhok." So...

"Ahm, okay. Tatalikod ako then continue ka na lang d'yan. I promise hindi ako titingin." I turned around and faced the door.

Umiiyak pa rin s'ya habang nagbabanlaw. I feel so bad dahil first time n'ya dito sa bahay tapos ang sama pa ng nangyari. Tangina kasi bakit ba nawalan ng kuryente.

After a few minutes of silence and nothing but the sound of water echoing throughout the fall walls of this bathroom, nabuhay 'yung ilaw.

Hahahaha. Lord, magaling ka talaga. Alabyusomatch.

Ang galing galing, ano na gagawin ko dito?

"P'wede na ba ako lumabas? May ilaw naman na."

"What if the light goes out again?" Tama naman s'ya.

"Sige, bihis ka lang." I whistled to distract myself from thinking about things that people shouldn't think about while they're in the same space with the person they like who's unaware of their feelings.

"Okay na." I turned around to see if she was okay now and my heart dropped.

Puffy eyes, lips slightly curved upward, Kuromi pajamas, and her hair wrapped in a towel.

If ganito pala ang makikita ko kapag roommates kami lagi, sana roommates na lang kami habang buhay.

"I'm sorry, nabasa ka tuloy. Nagpalit ka pa ulit ng damit, hay." Nagpapalit ako ng t-shirt sa banyo when I heard her say that. She doesn't have to say sorry for something like that. Damit lang naman 'to, p'wedeng palitan tsaka nabasa lang naman eh, hindi naman nasira or what.

"Wait lang patapos na ako." I wore an old shirt na sobrang comfy pangtulog. 'Yung hindi makapal pero hindi rin sobrang nipis tapos malamig kapag sinuot. Buti nakita ko 'to kanina. Hindi naman sa wala na akong ibang pajama, pero wala lang, ito na nakuha ko eh.

I went out of the bathroom and closed the door behind me. I saw her sitting on my bed, nakatingin sa'kin with a smile. I sat down beside her and just looked at her.

Wrong move. I made a wrong move.

Her hair was cascading down her shoulders revealing only one side of her neck. She stared back with eyes that once looked so cold and frightening to me, but now they make me feel like I shouldn't look back because I don't deserve to look at someone this precious; like a well-sculpted statue displayed in a museum that only those who are willing to risk are allowed to look.

Why? Because once you laid your eyes on her, you can never look away again. Kaya bago pa 'yun mangyari sa'kin at ituloy ko ang dapat ata mangyari kanina sa park, I avoided her gaze.

"Alam mo Giraffe, hindi ka dapat mag-sorry. Hindi mo naman kasalanan na takot ka sa dilim. Tsaka I have tons of shirts here na p'wede kong isuot and I don't really mind." I was playing with the blanket, tracing shapes habang sinasabi lahat 'yun. Pakiramdam ko mali sinabi ko, parang dinidiktahan ko s'ya kung ano dapat maramdaman n'ya pero ewan? Bawiin ko kaya?

"Ne-"

"I-"

Sabay pa kaming nagsalita.

"Ano 'yun?" I asked her.

"Uh, I was gonna say na tama ka. Thank you for comforting me in there kahit alam ko ayaw mo pumasok kasi ano... but I didn't know what to do. I panicked and hindi na ako nakapag-isip kaagad but I'm thankful na hindi mo nalimutan. Thank you, Winter." I can see her hand also playing with the blanket. Nahihiya siguro dahil sa nangyari kanina.

"Don't worry, wala naman along nakita." She snorted tapos pinalo ako sa braso.

"Gagi." My heart literally stopped for a second, as in. Parang tanga naman, Minjeong. It's the way she says it, it feels different. Like she doesn't mean it tapos ang deep ng boses and pabiro 'yung tone and I'm over-explaining in my head again.

Nasa harap lang kita pero kung ano-ano na naiisip ko tapos wala ka man lang clue.

"Minjeong, Karina, ka